“I will. Thanks for cheering me up, Z.”
“Anytime. Let me know how your first date goes.”
April rolled her eyes. She hadn’t looked for Tanner Rhodes because she wanted to date him. Besides, a man like that would never date a woman like her. Not after he found out what she’d done. No, this was all for Violet. “Good night, Z.”
“Night, Ape.”
April cringed at her best friend’s annoying nickname for her and ended the call. Tannercouldbe the key to ending Ned’s reign of terror over her niece, or he could be the flake who didn’t want his own daughter and was now under Ned’s thumb. There was no way April would trust the guy with Violet’s safety and future until she knew for sure.
Soft music filled the otherwise quiet Uber, and April’s thoughts drifted to her brief encounter with Tanner. She couldn’t deny the attraction she’d felt for him, but that’s not what this was about. She needed to find out if he was -
The loud ringing of her phone caught April off guard and made her jump. It was coming from an unknown number, and April wasn’t expecting any calls this late at night. She nibbled her bottom lip, debating on whether or not to answer. Just before it went to voicemail, she touched the green button on the screen and brought the phone up to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hi Aunt April,” Violet’s sweet little voice said. “Don’t be mad that I called, okay?”
April wasn’t mad. She was shocked. “I could never be mad at you, Sweetie, but how are you calling me?” As far as April knew, her niece didn’t have access to any technology that could be used to communicate with the outside world. Not even an internet connection on her computer.
“I stole one of the soldier’s phones,” Violet said matter-of-factly. “He left it on a table and it didn’t even have a lock on it, which means I can play his games, too.”
April searched for the right thing to say. This could get Violet in so much trouble. “Sweetie, you shouldn’t have done that. What if Ned or Echo find out?”
“I don’t care,” Violet said indignantly. “It’s not like they’re going to hurt me. Right?”
April had no idea what Ned would do or how far he’d go in doling out punishment on his six-year-old step daughter. In the past, when Violet acted out, he would keep April from seeing her, or take away her favorite books or toys. It was beyond cruel considering how awful he already was to her on a daily basis. But Violet had never done anything like this before. “Maybe you should give it back,” April suggested, not wanting to think about what the repercussions of her actions might be if anyone found out.
“No. Then I won’t be able to talk to you.” The desperation in her voice was the only thing that kept April from giving her niece a lecture on stealing.
“Violet,” April soothed, wanting to comfort her. She’d give anything to be there for her right now, but that was against Ned’s rules. “I’ll see you in the morning. Besides, shouldn’t you be asleep?”
Violet sighed. “I had a bad dream. Please don’t tell Ned about the phone.” There were tears in Violet’s voice, and April had to swallow back the lump in her own throat.
“I won’t,” April promised. She’d made Violet memorize her phone number in case of an emergency. She just never thought her niece would resort to theft. “But I want you to turn it off and put it away as soon as we hang up. Somewhere no one will find it. Then go back to sleep.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Violet said, adding a little sass to her tone.
April smiled. “I love you, Sweetie.”
“I love you too, Aunt April. Good night.” Violet ended the call, and April sat back in her seat. She had no idea when Violet would’ve had the opportunity to take the phone, or even from which soldier. Ned had an entire army of them in the building at any given time, all of whom were in constant contact with Violet, even if they didn’t know it.
The whole operation was a complete disaster as far as April was concerned, but there was nothing she could do about it. She slid her cellphone into her handbag and pulled out Tanner’s business card.
Tanner Rhodes. Homicide Detective.
A strange mixture of fear and relief pulsed through April’s veins as she carefully examined the black lettering on the front of the card, and the legibly scrawled phone number on the back. So, this was the man whose picture she’d been looking at online. All six feet two inches of pure muscle, sultry blue eyes, and a cowboy hat that made her feel like she’d just stepped into an old Western. He wasn’t really how she’d imagined him. After what Casey had told her, April didn’t think he’d be as nice as he was, or as funny. He’d made April laugh multiple times, and unless she was talking to Zara or spending time with her niece, that wasn’t easy to do these days.
The Uber driver had just turned onto April’s street when red and blue police lights flashed into the car. “What’s going on?” April asked, turning around to see they were being pulled over.
“I’m not sure. I wasn’t speeding.” The driver pulled over to the curb and opened her window. They were just two blocks from April’s apartment building. Had the driver run a stop sign or something?
An uneasy feeling settled deep in April’s gut as a police officer approached the vehicle. “License and registration,” he told the driver. She pulled out both and handed it to him. “Be right back.”
April was debating getting out of the car and just walking home. She was exhausted and had no idea how long this would take. A slight tap on her window startled April as she met the gaze of a second police officer. He smiled at her, and her gaze caught on his name tag: E. Sinclair. He gestured for her to step out of the car, but April shook her head. There was no way in hellshe was getting out of this vehicle unless it was to go straight to her apartment building.
He knocked on her window again. Harder this time. She opened it a crack, just enough to be heard. “I’m not getting out. I wasn’t driving.”
“This isn’t a traffic violation stop,” Officer Sinclair said with a smirk. “We have a close mutual friend, and he just asked for a welfare check on you.”
April groaned. Because, of course this guy was on Ned Dynam’s payroll. She thought she’d met all of them already, but Sinclair must be a new recruit. They were always so cocky. Thinking they owned the world. When in reality, Ned ownedthem. “Tell him I’ll do whatever the heck I please on my own time, and he can kick rocks if he doesn’t like it.”
